MODEL RELEASED. Orthodontic brace fitting. Image 2 of 3. Orthodontist attaching brace brackets to the teeth of a 14-year-old patient. Her mouth is kept open using lip retractors and a suction tube is being used to remove excess saliva. The teeth were previously treated with an acid etch to make the surfaces of the teeth slightly rough so that cement attaching the brace brackets has a strong bond with the surface. The patient is having a brace attached to her teeth because she has an undescended tooth, which requires her other teeth to move in order for it to have room to come through. See M780/619-M780/621 for a series of images showing the procedure for attaching a brace.